Those Resolution things…

    Ah, New Year’s Resolutions.  I’ll be honest, by the time New Years rolls around in the Midwest, I’m usually deep in the “winter blues.”  Though you couldn’t tell by looking at me (I’m ghostly pale), I love the sunshine.  My ideal temperature range is about 78-82 degrees.  I happen to live in a place where it is that temperature for approximately 1/100th of the year.  So when the snow (and ice, and sleet, and freezing rain, and ice pellets) starts falling, so does my mood.  It’s hard for me to have a positive outlook on the year ahead during this time.  But nonetheless, I do try.  Just this morning I found myself thinking:  “Well, it’s January 4th.  That means, at the very most, three (probably) more months of winter.  Just get through January and February and you’ll be fine.”

    With all that out in the open, I do usually try to make a couple of New Year’s Resolutions. 

 

   

  Okay, here’s another confession:  I’m not very good at goal-setting.  The first time I met my amazing wonderful personal trainer, he of course wanted to know what my goals were.  I told him, “I want to lose weight.”  He was nice about it and said that it usually helps to visualize a number or size you want to be, maybe an outfit you want to wear like a bathing suit or dress.  He, being wonderfully amazing, emphasized that it didn’t have to be about a number on the scale, that there were other ways I could measure fitness.  But I was stubborn. I told him, “I’ll know when I get there.”   (Note: I’m not there yet).  We compromised and set small goals together.  Every week he would ask me what my goal was that week - anything from a certain number of workouts, trying a new kind of workout, reducing the number of bagel breakfasts I’d have that week, etc. I also set small personal goals for myself, with a system of rewards.  For example, one year in July I set a goal to walk my dog 25 times in that month.  If I did it, I could buy a purse I’d been wanting.  I achieved my goal and got my purse!  Just for the record, I am strongly against food rewards.  I think it sets up a negative mindset about food being categorized as “good” or “bad” and can lead to bingeing behavior for some people.  A reward should make you feel good about yourself.

   All that being said, while they may not fit the typical goal-setting blueprint (specific, measurable), my goals for 2010 are:

Sweat every day.  This means, simply, do some type of exercise every day, whether it is 10 minutes or 100.  Anything that forces me to break a sweat.  Every day (unless I’m sick.)

Deepen my yoga practice.  When it warms up, I plan to find a studio somewhere around me (there are none in my town) and sign up for classes.  I also want to practice more on my own and try meditation. 

Save money.  For this I do have a set amount I would like to save by the end of the year, but I’m keeping that private.

Comment more on blogs I read and friends’ blogs, especially.

Try one new recipe per week.  Healthy or unhealthy, elaborate or simple, doesn’t matter.

    That’s it!  For the first time since I can even remember, I don’t have a weight loss goal for the New Year.  I’d like to lose a few pounds, sure, but no pressure.

Oh, one more:

See Andrea!  Whether she visits me, I visit her, or we visit somewhere together.  I miss her lots.